5 Life-Changing Roles Turned Down By Celebs And 5 That Became Legendary In The End

Hollywood is a place where no-name actors can become award winners in a blink of an eye, while famous stars lose everything after an unsuccessful action flick. Directors have a habit of casting the same actors for big-budget movies to get the viewers’ attention, but there are also times when they can’t book the actor they want and end up hiring unknown artists. More often than not those risks pay off and we get to see new stars rising on the Hollywood horizon. Here’s a list of celebs who either turned down life-changing roles or got to play some of the most iconic characters in movie history.

Ryan Reynolds and Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy, was bent on getting Ryan Reynolds to play Xander in his new supernatural show. Ryan, however, was about to play Deadpool in X-Men: Origins and didn’t want anything to distract him from this supposedly big role. In the end, Buffy became one of the biggest hits of late 90s, while Deadpool’s screen time was reduced to just a few scenes. Did Ryan Reynolds regret his decision? We certainly think so! He could’ve gotten his own Deadpool movie sooner if he had Joss Whedon on his side.

Nicole Kidman and Indecent Proposal
Can you imagine someone other than Demi Moore playing the wife in Indecent Proposal? Well, it could have very well been Nicole Kidman! Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman should have starred in the movie together, but decided to turn down the roles in favor of other films. Thus, Demi Moore ended up playing the poor man’s wife who had to spend the night with a billionaire for one million dollars. Indecent Proposal hit the box office with a bang, making it one of the most recognizable movies of the 90s.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Star Wars
When Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was in need of a grown-up Anakin Skywalker, George Lucas could think only about Leonardo DiCaprio, whose Titanic success would attract gazillions of young ladies to the movie theaters. It would have been perfect for the Star Wars franchise! Nevertheless, Leo didn’t feel he was up for the job, so Hayden Christensen was cast instead. It’s hard to tell whether Leo dodged a lightsaber there or he could have won an Oscar a decade sooner.

Shailene Woodley and The Carrie
Gorgeous Shailene Woodley definitely made the Divergent movie series a more worthwhile experience, so we can’t but wonder what would have happened if she starred in The Carrie remake? Shailene decided to turn down the role, making Chloë Grace Moretz the next best option for the leading role. Critics weren’t too happy about how the remake turned out, saying it was too shallow and predictable. Carrie seemed almost bored running around all covered in blood, reeking havoc and destruction everywhere she went!